UPDATE 5/11/24: Twitch has updated its controversial rules around labeling streams that focus on “political and sensitive issues” after its previous statement setting out new requirements raised eyebrows.

In an update posted last night, on the eve of the US presidential election, Twitch said it had made “some updates” to its “policy language to better clarify what a Content Classification Label (CCL) requires for ‘political and sensitive social issues’. “

Twitch previously described the types of “sensitive social issues” that would warrant the warning label, such as discussions about religion, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights and immigration. Now, Twitch has said it wanted to make it clear that labels would not apply if a streamer discusses their “lived experience,” or if the discussion of these topics is not the “focus” of the stream.

Why is Twitch so eager for streamers to label their broadcasts? The company says it wants both viewers and brands — in other words, companies that spend money to advertise on the platform — to have a better view of what a streamer might discuss.

“Our goal here, as with any CCL, is to give viewers and brands more information about what’s happening on a given stream,” Twitch said, “so they can make an informed decision about what to watch and where to have to deal with.”

ORIGINAL STORY 2/11/24: Twitch has tightened the rules around broadcasts that feature debates about “political” and “sensitive social issues.”

In a statement, Twitch said that while it is a place “where people can express themselves and discuss the world around them,” from now on any stream that includes discussions about war, religion or “reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights or immigration” must be labelled.

“Twitch is a place where people can express themselves and discuss the world around them,” Twitch explains.

“We require streams to be labeled if the focus of the stream includes discussions and debates about political or sensitive social issues, such as discussions about elections, civic integrity, war or military conflict, and civil rights.”

Examples of content that require a rating label include streams featuring former or current political officials if the content includes discussions with these individuals about public policy, live coverage or commentary on elections, civic processes, or election-related disputes, and livestreams of protests and rallies or civil unrest related to civil rights issues or government policy.

Also subject to further labeling are discussions of military conflict, foreign policy decisions or national security issues, and discussion of ideological or sociopolitical views on topics such as gender, race, sexuality, or religion.

“Discussing legislation related to a sensitive social issue such as reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, or immigration” is also subject to labels.

However, “Streams that contain informational or educational content and whose purpose is to share knowledge in a neutral, fact-based manner, rather than engaging in any form of advocacy for an issue or candidate,” are not subject to labeling .

“For example, sharing the history of how votes in the US presidential elections are counted to determine the next president, or merely encouraging individuals to vote or register to vote,” Twitch explains. “Intermittent mentions of politics, politicians, or sensitive social issues do not need to be labeled Political and Sensitive Social Issues.”

The changes come after a difficult few weeks for the livestreaming giant, which has drawn accusations of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.

“There is no place on Twitch for racism, hatred or harassment of any kind, including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia,” CEO Dan Clancy said in an additional statement. “As our community has grown, we have tried to establish community guidelines to prevent these harms.”

“Twitch has always been and always will be about belonging. Every day, people come together on our service to build communities around shared interests and express themselves authentically. To make this possible, we work hard to ensure keep our community a safe place.”

“Millions of streamers, with a wide variety of views and perspectives, spend time on Twitch. We recognize that some content, while permitted on our service, may be objectionable to some members of our community. The opinions expressed by streamers on Twitch are not shared are not the views of Twitch nor are they my personal views. “We are grateful for the feedback and input from our community,” concludes Clancy “Our security approach continues to evolve and evolve as our service grows. We want to make sure everyone can find their place on Twitch and remain committed to ensuring hate and harassment have no place here.”

Last week, Twitch apologized for preventing new account signups from Israel and Palestine due to the ongoing conflict. It said logins were temporarily disabled following the attacks on October 7, 2023 to “prevent uploads of graphic material related to the attack and to protect user security.” However, until recently, this authentication had not been re-enabled.